The present invention relates to cleaning compositions, pads, sheets, wipes, and implements useful in removing soils from hard surfaces. The cleaning pads and/or sheets contain improved structure comprising apertured formed films, functional cuffs, density gradients, adhesive scrubbing strips, and/or perfume carrier complex. The cleaning sheets are designed so as to provide functional cuffs. The present invention also relates to a cleaning implement comprising a handle and, preferably, an improved removable absorbent cleaning pad. The present invention further relates to methods of using cleaning compositions, pads, sheets, wipes, and implements to clean hard surfaces.
The literature is replete with products capable of cleaning hard surfaces such as ceramic tile floors, hardwood floors, counter tops and the like. In the context of cleaning floors, numerous devices are described comprising a handle and some means for absorbing a fluid cleaning composition. Such devices include those that are reusable, including mops containing cotton strings, cellulose and/or synthetic strips, sponges, and the like. While these mops are successful in removing many soils from hard surfaces, they typically require the inconvenience of performing one or more rinsing steps during use to avoid saturation of the material with dirt, soil, and other residues. These mops therefore require the use of a separate container to perform the rinsing step(s), and typically these rinsing steps fail to sufficiently remove dirt residues. This can result in redeposition of significant amounts of soil during subsequent passes of the mop. Furthermore, as reusable mops are used over time, they become increasingly soiled and malodorous. This negatively impacts subsequent cleaning performance.
To alleviate some of the negative attributes associated with reusable mops, attempts have been made to provide mops having disposable cleaning pads. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,559, issued Mar. 10, 1992 to Rivera et al., describes a mop that includes a disposable cleaning pad comprising a scrubber layer for removing soil from a soiled surface, a blotter layer to absorb fluid after the cleaning process, and a liquid impervious layer positioned between the scrubber and blotter layer. The pad further contains a rupturable packet means positioned between the scrubber layer and the liquid impervious layer. The rupturable packets are so located such that upon rupture, fluid is directed onto the surface to be cleaned. During the cleaning action with the scrubber layer, the impervious sheet prevents fluid from moving to the absorbent blotter layer. After the cleaning action is completed, the pad is removed from the mop handle and reattached such that the blotter layer contacts the floor. While this device can alleviate the need to use multiple rinsing steps, it does require that the user physically handle the pad and reattach a soiled, damp pad in order to complete the cleaning process.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,015, issued May 30, 1995 to Garcia, describes a mop having removable, washable work pads. The pad is described as comprising an upper layer which is capable of attaching to hooks on a mop head, a central layer of synthetic plastic microporous foam, and a lower layer for contacting a surface during the cleaning operation. The lower layer""s composition is stated to depend on the end-use of the device, i.e., washing, polishing or scrubbing. While the reference addresses the problems associated with mops that require rinsing during use, the patent fails to provide a cleaning implement that sufficiently removes the soil deposited on typical household hard surfaces, in particular floors, such that the surface is perceived as essentially free of soil. In particular, the synthetic foam described by Garcia for absorbing the cleaning solution has a relatively low absorbent capacity for water and water-based solutions. As such, the user must either use small amounts of cleaning solution to remain within the absorbent capacity of the pad, or the user must leave a significant amount of cleaning solution on the surface being cleaned. In either situation, the overall performance of the cleaning pad is not optimal.
While many known devices for cleaning hard surfaces are successful at removing a vast majority of the soil encountered by the typical consumer during the cleaning process, they are inconvenient in that they require one or more cleaning steps. The prior art devices that have addressed the issue of convenience typically do so at the cost of cleaning performance. As such, there remains a need for a device that offers both convenience and beneficial soil removal.
In one aspect, the present invention encompasses hard surface cleaning compositions, preferably for use with the cleaning pads and/or cleaning implements described herein, comprising:
(a) optionally, from about 0.001% to about 0.5% by weight of the composition of surfactant, preferably selected from the group consisting of alkylpolysaccharides, alkyl ethoxylates, alkyl sulfonates, and mixtures thereof;
(b) optionally, hydrophilic polymer, preferably less than about 0.5% by weight of the composition;
(c) optionally, organic solvent, preferably from about 0.25% to about 7% by weight of the composition and preferably having a boiling point of from about 120xc2x0 C. to about 180xc2x0 C.;
(d) optionally, from about 0.01% to about 1% by weight of the composition of mono- or polycarboxylic acid;
(e) optionally, from about 0.01% to about 1% by weight of the composition of odor control agent, preferably cyclodextrin;
(f) optionally, a source of peroxide, preferably from about 0.05% to about 5% by weight of the composition and preferably selected from the group consisting of benzoyl peroxide, hydrogen peroxide, and mixtures thereof;
(g) optionally, from about 0.001% to about 0.1% by weight of the composition of thickening polymer;
(h) aqueous solvent system, preferably at least about 80% by weight of the composition;
(i) optionally, suds suppressor;
(j) optionally, from about 0.005% to about 0.2% by weight of the composition of a perfume comprising:
(i) optionally, from about 0.05% to about 90% by weight of the perfume of volatile, hydrophilic perfume material;
(ii) optionally, at least about 0.2% by weight of the perfume of volatile, hydrophobic perfume material;
(iii) optionally, less than about 10% by weight of the perfume of residual, hydrophilic perfume material;
(iv) less than about 10% by weight of the perfume of residual, hydrophobic perfume material;
(k) optionally, a detergent adjuvant, preferably selected from the group consisting of detergency builder, buffer, preservative, antibacterial agent, colorant, bleaching agents, chelants, enzymes, hydrotropes, corrosion inhibitors, and mixtures thereof.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to a cleaning pad, preferably disposable, for cleaning a hard surface, the cleaning pad comprising:
(a) at least one absorbent layer;
(b) optionally, a liquid pervious scrubbing layer; wherein the liquid pervious scrubbing layer is preferably an apertured formed film, more preferably a macroscopically expanded three-dimensional plastic web, having tapered or funnel-shaped apertures and/or surface aberrations and preferably comprising a hydrophobic material;
(c) optionally, an attachment layer, wherein the attachment layer preferably comprises a clear or translucent material, more preferably a clear or translucent polyethylene film, and wherein the attachment layer preferably comprises loop and/or hook material for attachment to a support head of a handle of a cleaning implement;
(d) optionally, multiple planar surfaces;
(e) optionally, at least one functional cuff, preferably at least one free-floating, looped functional cuff;
(f) optionally, a density gradient throughout at least one absorbent layer; wherein the density gradient preferably comprises a first absorbent layer having a density of from about 0.01 g/cm3 to about 0.15 g/cm3, preferably from about 0.03 g/cm3 to about 0.1 g/cm3, and more preferably from about 0.04 g/cm3 to about 0.06 g/cm3, and a second absorbent layer having a density of from about 0.04 g/cm3 to about 0.2 g/cm3, preferably from about 0.1 g/cm3 to about 0.2 g/cm3, and more preferably from about 0.12 g/cm3 to about 0.17 g/cm3; wherein the density of the first absorbent layer is about 0.04 g/cm3, preferably about 0.07 g/cm3, and more preferably about 0.1 g/cm3, less than the density of the second absorbent layer;
(g) optionally, at least one adhesive scrubbing strip, preferably comprising a material selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyester, polypropylene, abrasive material, and mixtures thereof; and
(h) optionally, perfume carrier complex, preferably selected from the group consisting of cyclodextrin inclusion complex, matrix perfume microcapsules, and mixtures thereof; wherein the perfume carrier complex is preferably located in an absorbent layer. Preferably, the cleaning pad has a t1200 absorbent capacity of at least about 5 grams/gram.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to a cleaning implement, comprising:
a handle;
a support head pivotally attached to said handle;
a cleaning substrate removeably attached to the support head, wherein said cleaning substrate has an absorbent capacity of at least about 5 g/g; and
a liquid delivery system for providing a cleaning liquid to a surface to be cleaned, wherein said liquid delivery system is configured to spray at least about 2 mils/sec of a cleaning liquid.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to a method of cleaning a hard surface comprising:
(a) contacting the surface with a cleaning implement comprising a handle and a removable, dry, cleaning substrate, preferably a nonwoven hydroentangled cleaning sheet as described herein before, to remove dust and fine particulate matter from the surface;
(b) contacting the surface with a hard surface cleaning composition, preferably a hard surface cleaning composition as described herein, to wet the surface;
(c) contacting the wet surface with a cleaning implement comprising a handle and a removable cleaning pad, preferably a cleaning pad as described herein, to substantially remove the hard surface cleaning composition from the surface; and
(d) allowing the surface to dry without rinsing the surface with a separate rinse solution.